Riccardo Frizza on Verdi & Falstaff: Interview in Schmopera

During the run of Falstaff at the Teatro Regio di Parma, Maestro Riccardo Frizza discussed Verdi and his final work with Jenna Simeonov of Schmopera.

With Falstaff, Verdi revolutionised Italian melodrama. By magnifying the “dramma” and vicissitudes of mystic characters, he addressed the problematic political situation of an Italy in the process of formation, and he finally decided to end his career with a comic libretto. The greatest challenge in conducting Falstaff is letting all the details in the score emerge. Conducting a comic opera is very different from conducting a serious opera, as you have to feel the rhythm of the comedy, which can be quite complicated at times.